Paris-based Welinq bags €5M to increase computational power of quantum processors

|

|

Last update:

Paris-based Welinq, a startup that provides solutions to increase the computational power of quantum processors, announced on Monday that it has raised €5M in a pre-seed round of funding led by Quantonation.

Runa Capital, the French National Quantum Initiative, the French Banque Publique d’Investissement (BPI), and the European Commission also participated in the round. 

Welinq says the capital will help it to scale its quantum computing and enable quantum internet deployment.

Welinq: What you need to know

Welinq was founded by Tom Darras, Julien Laurat, Eleni Diamanti, and Jean Lautier-Gaud, who had previously partnered in their academic careers. 

The platform provides solutions to scale up quantum computing through its ‘quantum memory technology.’ It also acts as a quantum infrastructure to enable quantum internet deployment.

“Quantum memories have been identified today as the key missing hardware for the scale-up of quantum technologies. Not only must these devices be deployed on the market at the earliest, but they must also show extremely high performance and robustness if we want them to impact industry and society truly. We are happy to be joined in this project by investors with strong expertise in quantum technologies and who are sharing our ambitions for the future of quantum technologies,” says Tom Darras, CEO and co-founder of Welinq.

The French company claims to have developed the world’s first efficient quantum storage.

The quantum memories technology enables the storage and on-demand release of quantum information without altering its properties. 

By leveraging laser-cooled neutral-atom technology, the team has demonstrated 90 per cent storage-and-retrieval efficiency, indicating how much information is retained through the process without being lost.

The company claims this technology is mature enough for quick deployment in HPC (high-performance computing) centres and quantum communication infrastructure.

The company is developing its first product of highly-efficient quantum memory, which will be integrated, transportable and deployable in quantum computing and quantum communication infrastructures.

Sorbonne Université, CNRS, PSL-University, and the Collège de France participate in Welinq’s public and academic research, and Sorbonne Université hosts the R&D activities of the company.

The Investor

Quantonation is a VC dedicated to Quantum Technologies, managing €91M through its first vehicle Quantonation 1, with 23 companies in the portfolio. 

Quantonations invests globally, targeting pre-seed/seed companies in Quantum Computing, Quantum Communications, Quantum Sensing, and Deep physics. 

“At Quantonation, we believe that developing efficient quantum interconnects is a pillar for the quantum infrastructure and a path to accelerate real-world applications. The founding team has groundbreaking expertise and a clear path to be impactful. We are excited to start this journey with Welinq,” says Christophe Jurczak, partner at Quantonation

Dmitry Galperin, a Berlin-based General Partner at Runa Capital, says, “When I first met Welinq’s team, I was very impressed by their unique technology and the major impact it can have on quantum computing scale-up. We are happy to stand with this founding team that gathers diverse backgrounds and a strong common ambition for the future of quantum interconnects.”

Topics:

Follow us:

Editorial team

The editorial team of Silicon Canals brings you technology news from the European startup ecosystem. 

Partner eventsMore events

Current Month

02apr(apr 2)8:00 am04(apr 4)6:00 am0100 Europe 2025

Share to...